The environment is everywhere.

A Kellog’s recall was apparently prompted by a chemical breakdown product, methylnaphthalene, in some of their cereals. The parent material is supposedly in the cereal box liner, not the cereal itself (one hopes).

Now, an MSDS like this is referring, in large measure, to people working with the the pure compound. Nevertheless, MSDS information like this sure does give one pause. This stuff, or a parent material of this stuff, in contact with my kids’ cereal?

Another question: if it may cause respiratory or digestive tract irritation, wouldn’t some organs be targets, such as the lungs. Perhaps this lack of information is reflective of the apparently paucity of toxicological data on this (and tens of thousands of other compounds).